Pavol Breslik

Pavol Breslik was born in Slovakia in 1979. He completed his singing studies at Bratislava Conservatoire in 2001. After participating in Master Classes with the Italian tenor W. Matteuzzi and A. Kucharsk, he won third place in the Schneider-Trnavsky Contest in Slovakia.

In 2000, he won first prize in the Antonin Dvorak International Competition in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. He went on to give numerous concerts in Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, Canada, Slovakia and the Czech Republic with orchestras such as the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Radio SWR Orchestra, the Czech Chamber Orchestra and the Slovak National Theatre's State Orchestra. He also participated in recordings of Haydn's "Theresienmesse", Rossini's "Requiem" and "Messe Solennelle" as well as "Pezzi Sacri Lughessi", also by Rossini.

In November 2001, he became a soloist at the Prague National Opera, where he commenced with the role of Don Ottavio in "Don Giovanni" by Mozart. In 2002, he sang Ismaele in "Nabucco" by Verdi and Tamino in "The Magic Flute" by Mozart. He then made his debut at the Klosterneuburg Festival in Vienna with the role of Nemorino in "L'Elisir d'Amore" by Donizetti.

In April 2002, he auditioned for CNIPAL and was accepted for the 2002/2003 season. He worked with, amongst others, Yvonne Minton and Mady Mesplé, conductor Christian von Gehren, choreographer Lydie Callier and directors Jeannette Aster, Robert Fortune and Jean-Marc Forêt.
In October 2002, he sang Haydn's "Creation Mass" in Bratislava with the Bratislava Philharmonia and then Mozart's "Requiem" accompanied by the Orchestra of Auvergne. He appeared in recital in November of the same year at Marseilles and Avignon opera houses in a programme devoted to Mozart.

In January 2003, he was invited by Slovakia's Ambassador to Canada to give a concert in Montreal. He sang Tamino's aria "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" (from Mozart's "Magic Flute"), the Nemorino-Adina duo "Chiedi all'aura" and Nemorino's aria "Una furtiva lagrima" ("L'Elisir d'Amore" by Donizetti) at the New Year's Concert organised by CNIPAL at Toulon Opera House.

He was then to be heard in "Elias" by Mendelssohn in February 2003 at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris. The Orchestre National de France was conducted by Kurt Masur. In May 2003 he was spotted by Eve Ruggieri and invited to take part in her programme entitled "Musique au Coeur", devoted to new operatic talents discovered during the year. He joined the Berlin Volksoper in May-June 2003 to interpret the role of Fenton in "Falstaff" by Verdi (conducted by Daniel Baremboim). Then he went on tour in June and July 2003 with the Teatro Real de Madrid playing Steuermann in Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" (conducted by Daniel Barenboim). In June 2003, he participated in CNIPAL's show entitled "Fragments d'Amour" performed at the Marseilles Opera House. This operatic show, inspired by "The Magic Flute" and "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" by Mozart, was directed by Jean-Marc Forêt. The Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Christian von Gehren.

Since 2003/04, Pavol Breslik has been engaged as a soloist at the Staatsoper Berlin, where he performs parts such as Ferrando (Cosi fan tutte), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Nemorino (L'Elisir d'amore), Steuermann (Der fliegende Holländer), Stimme eines Seemanns (Tristan und Isolde) and Kudrjas (Katja Kabanova). Meanwhile, he has also appeared at the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi Trieste and at the Piccolo Teatro in Milano in the Strehler production of Cosi fan tutte (Ferrando) and at the Glyndebourne Festival in a new production of Die Zauberflöte (Tamino). In Summer 2005 he rendered his first Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) at the Festivals in Antibes and Lacoste.

His plans for 2005/06 include Cosi fan tutte (Ferrando) at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brüssel and at the Staatsoper Berlin, Boris Godunow (Simpleton) at the Staatsoper Berlin, Fidelio (Jaquino) in concert at the Théâtre du Châtelet as well as Die Zauberflöte (Tamino) at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. Further plans for 2006/07 include Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Belmonte) at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, Die Zauberflöte (Tamino) at the Theater an der Wien, J.S. Bach's St John Passion (Evangelist) at the Théâtre du Châtelet (conductor: Emmanuelle Haim, stage director: Bob Wilson) and Cosi fan tutte (Ferrando) at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Further plans include Don Giovann (Don Ottavio) at the Staatsoper Berlin, Die Zauberflöte at the Royal Opera House London, Jenufa (Stewa) at the Monte-Carlo Opera, Idomeneo (Idamante) at the Bayerische Staatsoper and Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera.

His Highlights in concert have taken place at the BBC Proms' with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Kurt Masur (Janacek's Glagolitic Mass), in London, Paris and Lille with the Concert d'Astrée under Emmanuelle Haim (Haendel's Il trionfo del tempo), at the Edinburgh Festival (Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives and Mass in C) and at the Frauenkirche Dresden with the Dresden Philharmonic under Kurt Masur (world Premiere of a Te Deum by Siegfried Mathus). In 2006 he will collaborate with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Colin Davies, and with the Orchestre National de France under Kurt Masur (Beethoven's Missa Solemnis).